


Cafés, Pools and Cuddling Fools

by DabbaDoo



Series: NCT Hybrid AU [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hybrids, Awkward Park Jisung (NCT), Cat Hybrid Zhong Chen Le, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Human Park Jisung (NCT), Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mutual Pining, OT23 (NCT), Park Jisung (NCT) is Whipped, Park Jisung (NCT)-centric, Pining, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27275806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DabbaDoo/pseuds/DabbaDoo
Summary: Jisung loves his life of familiarity, but Chenle has proven that he’s prone to breaking his silent process of normality.‘Jisung looks up, eyes searching for a moment. He sees the kid, decides that there is nothing interesting about him, and looks back down to his book before he does a double take because, wow. He straightens his posture as his eyes are blown wide in wonderment when the new kid locks eyes with him. The world around him goes silent.He is simply gorgeous.’
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: NCT Hybrid AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950169
Comments: 7
Kudos: 86





	Cafés, Pools and Cuddling Fools

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii! I’m back with an adorable fluff work! I hope you all enjoy, I promise it wasn’t meant to be this long but I can’t help myself. If you are a new reader of this series, please know that while this can be read as a seperate story, it is apart of a series that contains adult themes. This was a request from user sazza so thank you so much! This is officially the earliest story in the timeline.
> 
> Here are some other content warnings that I couldn’t put in the tags:  
> \- mentioned violence  
> \- mentioned near death experience  
> \- mentioned heats/ruts  
> \- shirtless minors (not sexualised)  
> \- bullying  
> \- homophobic slurs are used in a scene
> 
> Disclaimer– this is a work of fiction and is not meant to be a real depiction of the people/character present.

Mornings like these always travel fast for Jisung. Before he knows it, he is out of bed and at school, with his friends and teachers, making his way begrudgingly through the day before he can go home and do what he really wants to do. The routine he had found himself stuck in after years of schooling has led to start his mornings in a boring fashion, but the familiarity is comforting.

He liked familiarity. It was his comfort space, something he relied on to make his way through what he called his life. His mother and father, older brother Minsung, and his friends are those safe spaces for him, the space he desperately loves and wants to protect.

Usually, his mornings would begin at the crack of dawn, waking up as the sun came out to play, bright and early, and today is no exception. Before his alarm could even go off, he was up and in the shower, humming to himself and bouncing his head to a made-up beat in his head.

He gets dressed rather hastily and is down having breakfast with Minsung and his mother at the dinner table before he can even register what today may have in store for him. The food he’s eating is lukewarm at best, his mother must have made it earlier that morning, however it’s still as delicious as it would have been if it were hot.

“Oh, Jisung-ah, before I forget, I met this really kind Chinese woman at work yesterday. She has a son around your age—I think you two would get along,”

Ahh—there it is. Those seven fateful words that Jisung has heard one too many times. There was always a new kid that she was excited to introduce to him. He guesses it’s because of his lack of friends and such, but when will she learn that just because they’re the same age, they’re not guaranteed to get along?

“Jisung-ah is a certified introvert mum, he won’t do shit,”

“Minsung! Language!”

“It’s true! He’s gonna have more mid-life crisis’ than friends,” Minsung says, pointing his chopsticks at him.

“What’s his name?” Jisung asks absently, more focused on his food than anything else.

“I can’t quite remember. She had such a thick accent I barely even caught her name. He’s a hybrid though, I’m guessing,” Jisung’s mother says curiously before she checks her watch and declares it’s time for them to leave for school.

They rush out of the house together and Minsung is lucky enough that he gets the front seat. Jisung silently curses at him, telling himself he’ll get the front seat the next day (he always told himself that, it never came true).

The drive is short, as it always is in comparison to some other kids who are not as fortunate to live close to the school, and he’s giving his mother a goodbye kiss on the cheek and hoping out of the car as soon as he can. The car speeds away, and Jisung and his brother walk most of the way into the school by each other’s side before they split off into their respective groups of friends.

Jisung’s friend, Taejon, a short man with a stare sharp enough to cut a bitch is already in their classroom, playing on his Nintendo DS with his feet up on the table. He’s a bad example of a model student, and probably would have been one of the ‘popular kids’ if he hadn't been a chubby nerd their first year of high school.

He barely even acknowledges Jisung’s existence until he sits down next to him, and all he gets is a measly ‘hey’. That is until Jisung is pulling out his book for the first lesson and Taejon begins a conversation.

“Yo, have you seen that new kid?”

“No, why?” Jisung asks, still flipping through his pages annoyingly slow to find his last page of work.

“He’s a hrybrid,” Taejon says with a hint of disgust in his voice that is left unheard by Jisung as he wonders if it’s the kid his mother was talking about.

More students are filling into the classroom so Jisung doesn’t reply to the statement. Instead, he tells Taejon to put the game away because class will start soon. Taejon obliges reluctantly, finishing whatever part he was on and saving the game before putting it in his backpack and grabbing out his own book.

The words on Jisung’s page catch his attention as he finds himself bored waiting for the teacher. Loudly, the bell rings, yet the teacher is nowhere, so the class has to sit there in silence. Except, there is no silence because they’re all restless teenagers who love to socialise. Maybe not Jisung himself, but the point still stands.

“Jisung-ah,” he hears Taejon’s voice, “that the new kid,”

Jisung looks up, eyes searching for a moment. He sees the kid, decides that there is nothing interesting about him, and looks back down to his book before he does a double take because, wow. He straightens his posture as his eyes are blown wide in wonderment when the new kid locks eyes with him. The world around him goes silent.

He is simply gorgeous.

Their eyes hold onto each other in a warm embrace of curiosity and kindness, and Jisung thinks he can see the stars in his eyes. Even at such a distance, his eyes look soft and friendly, welcoming yet mysterious and it draws Jisung in. He looks so lost yet in touch with his surroundings.

He has a rounded face, puffed up cheeks, and the cutest button nose he Jisung has ever seen on another boy. His features are soft yet defined and there’s a familiarity in his smile, especially in the subtle way the corners of his mouth twitch the longer he stares. Jisung can’t make out any makeup on him.

He’s short, but Jisung has a feeling he’ll grow to be tall. His legs seem longer than they are, hidden behind his school slacks. The boy isn’t wearing their school jacket so he can see the paleness of his skin. He’s fair, unlike Jisung is, but he seems breathtakingly smooth, no blemishes or markings disrupting his skin.

Perhaps he’s been staring for a moment too long with his eyes wide and his mouth agape, but the thought of the boy looking at him too doesn’t cross his mind as he looks down, ashamed and embarrassed. His hands find themselves in his lap and he plays with his fingers to distract himself from looking back up.

“Hybrids man, I don’t get it,” Taejon says, and it pulls Jisung’s gaze from his book.

“What?”

“I know you’re friends with that rabbit hybrid, but it’s just weird to me. It’s odd isn’t it? It’s unnatural,” Taejon explains his thoughts.

Jisung completely ignores his words, instead thinking of the boy. He braves a glance at his way and sees him talking to the teacher. He didn’t even realise the boy was a hybrid. His sleek black ears are hidden in the volume of his black hair. It looks so soft to touch, and Jisung can imagine running his fingers through his hair.

The thought leaves his mind as quickly as it came, and Jisung doesn’t think twice about it. Instead, another though sticks to his mind—was this kid the one his mother was talking about? He didn’t have much proof, other than the boy was new and he was a hybrid, but that was enough for Jisung to believe it. The thought leaves an unfamiliar warmth coiling in his abdomen.

If it was that kid, maybe his mother was right. Jisung couldn’t tell what he was feeling, it is a new sort of feeling, yet Jisung can’t help wanting to learn more. He wanted to chase that feeling, but like his brother said, he is a ‘certified introvert’ with the social skills of a chicken sandwich with ketchup on it, roughly paraphrasing.

~~~~

His name is Chenle. And he’s Chinese. It really is that kid she was talking about.

He might just be the embodiment of pure happiness and cuteness, Jisung decides. He doesn’t seem to be fluent in Korea, if his introduction and pronunciation is anything to go by, but Jisung believes he’ll get better with time. Maybe he could offer to give him lessons? Or would that be rude to ask?

As Jisung is thinking up all the possible ways to talk to him, the bell rings signalling the beginning of the first break. As he stands up, he begins to pack up with the intention of asking Jisung to sit with him at break, but the boy is already up and out of his seat and conversing with the teacher, and Jisung doesn’t want to be awkward and interrupt what is probably an important conversation or stand there and wait uncomfortably for them to finish.

Besides, Taejon has already grabbed a hold of his arm and is dragging him to the canteen line. He misses the glance Chenle sends his way was he walks out of the classroom, and he panics for a moment realising he might of missed his chance to talk to Chenle, but then he realises that they are in the same class and second break is an option so he doesn’t fret over it.

They get the usual food and make their way to their usual table, three rows from the wall and two tables away from the huge window that looks over the schools sporting oval. Their friend, Ye-ah, is already sitting at the table with her head in her phone.

When they sit down, Taejon makes his way to be next to Ye-ah and she looks up excitedly and Jisung just knows she’s about to spill some tea.

“Guys!” she begins, “have you guys seen that new kid! He’s so cute,”

“Yeah, he’s in our class,” Taejon says with an eye roll, “he’s a hybrid,”

Ye-ah leans forward and whispers, “I know, but guess what? He’s my age. He’s repeating a year,”

“Wait why?” Jisung asks.

“Got no idea-“ she leans back and takes a bit of her food, “-but I’m guessing it’s the language barrier. Heard he’s pretty bad,”

“Come on noona, that’s not fair. I think he’s doing just fine for a foreigner,” Jisung defends, leaning back and crossing his arms.

He looks up to look around and stretch his neck and that’s when he locks eyes with the topic of their conversation. His breath hitches and all of a sudden, he doesn’t know how to breath. Chenle is holding onto a small, brown lunch bag and is making his way over to the small group.

 _Wait,_ Jisung thinks, _he’s coming this way? He’s coming this way!_

He immediately straightens up and unfolds his arm. He doesn’t know why he did, maybe to seem more respectful or proper, but he’s sure that he doesn’t actually care about his posture.

A moment passed and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion yet way too fast at the same time. The closer he walks, the further away he seems but then he’s too close for poor, awkward Jisung to handle and suddenly he’s sucking in as much oxygen as he can because he just knows that after this exchange he’d gonna need it.

The boy stops and stands next to Taejon, and all three pairs of eyes are on him. Jisung doesn’t miss the way Chenle’s throat bobbed as he swallowed his embarrassment. He smiles, and Jisung finds it addicting as he unconsciously nods at him to go on.

“Hello, “ he begins and Jisung leans closer to hear him, “I’m Chenle. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,”

Jisung wants to answer. God, he wishes he could just spurt out a hello in hopes of starting a friendship with him but once again, his voice is trapped in his awkwardness and the words don’t come out as easily as he wants them to. Luckily, he’s friends with Ye-ah, who despite being his friends, is quite outgoing and extroverted.

“Hi Chenle! I’m Ye-ah, this is Taejon—” she points to Taejon, “—and this is Jisung—” she points to Jisung, “—would you like to sit down?”

Rather than reply, Chenle makes his way around the table to sit next to Jisung. He’s smiling, but under that smile Jisung can pinpoint another emotion underneath—fear. Jisung guesses he’d feel fear too if he were in Chenle’s shoes (the new kid in a new school where your native language isn’t spoken, trying to find friends and on top of that, being a hybrid).

When Chenle does settle into his seat, he’s meekly playing with his nails and Jisung has the urge to hold his hand. He doesn’t, for obvious reasons, but the urge catches him off guard. He stops to think about that because what the fuck?

“How are you finding Korea?” Ye-ah asks.

Taejon rolls his eyes, sighing under his nose, and the action doesn’t go unnoticed by Chenle, but he ignores it, and instead puts on a bright smile. His teeth shine past his red lips as he beams like an absolute angel.

“Korean is hard, and I’m not best at it, but everyone has been very, um, good.” Chenle rubs his palms and smiles and Jisung is in complete awe.

~~~~

Jisung should be disappointed in himself. Throughout the day, Chenle sat with them and talked to the best of his abilities. He was strangely formal and spoken slowly in order to pronounce the words to the best of his abilities, but Jisung didn’t even say a word to him.

That wouldn’t have been such a problem, because if Chenle sat with them for that first day, surely, he’d hang out with them for the rest of the week and be able to talk to him when he could muster up the courage—right? Right? Wrong.

It was incredibly pathetic. Absolutely pathetic and Jisung is kicking himself by the end of the week because gosh darn it, he really wanted to make friends with him, but Chenle was clearly not limiting his choices in friends as he was slowly making his way through the year and introducing himself to as many people as possible.

To say that Jisung was upset that things didn’t go as he planned it to would be an understatement, but to be fair, he didn’t plan anything. Hope was all he had and now he’s blown his chances. Though he still sees Chenle everyday in class, and could theoretically talk to him, he’s just too awkward to do it in a one-on-one situation.

Taejon doesn’t seem that upset about it either, which makes Jisung wonder if he’s obsessed over the situation too much. His passing comments on his heritage doesn’t go unnoticed by Jisung and Ye-ah, but its par for the course at this point and Jisung can’t stop it. He just hopes he’ll let up soon because Jisung is tired of reminding him that one of his friends is also a hybrid and that aspect of their lives shouldn’t be judged.

Ye-ah seems bummed out too, but she progresses throughout the day without much hindrance. Jisung doesn’t. He finds himself waiting back to see if he’ll get the courage to ask Chenle to lunch or to hang out after school, but it never comes. Making friends has never been easy for him and is forever thankful that he accidently met the three friends that he has.

Those perfect mornings of his have been ruined too. Now, sometimes, he spends a few minutes in bed just laying there, thinking about Chenle, mind wondering. He’s not even sure what he thinks about as the thoughts leave his mind as soon as he gets out of bed. It’s no longer a quick start to his mornings.

He has spoken about it with his mother. He could never keep anything from her, always ready to tell her how his day went at school when she picked him and Minsung up at the front gates. His mother told him to just brave the fire and talk to him, and when he spoke to his brother about it, he basically said the same thing, just in his own way.

“Jisung-ah, if you don’t stop being a pussy and ask him to eat with your or play games with you or whatever, he’s gonna forget that you even exist and you’re gonna prove me right,”

That didn’t help him, and before he knew it, nearly half a month had passed and Chenle and him had yet to speak, despite Chenle’s voice being absolutely dreamy and perfect in every way. Jisung’s beginning to wonder if all this worrying and thinking is even worth it.

He speaks to his hybrid friend about it as well, seeing as he’s a hybrid and maybe that’s the problem. He just told Jisung to stop pining (Jisung hadn’t stopped to consider that he was and now that’s all he can think about) and talk to him. That seems to be the general consensus of advice he’s been given, yet he just can’t do it in fear of embarrassing himself.

It’s at dinner on a Friday night that things actually fall into place for Jisung.

“Hey mum,” Jisung calls from the stairs as he travels down them, shirt off because it’s way too hot to be wearing one and he has just had a shower, “when’s dinner?”

He gets a notification on his phone that he goes to check as he walks into the kitchen, head down, and stops in the doorway. It’s only a game notification, so he puts it back into his pyjama pockets and looks up. God, he wishes he didn’t.

He’s met with those eyes. Those eyes that embrace him in a warm hold of familiarity that really shouldn’t be that warm nor familiar. Those eyes that are so kind and soft, friendly yet a hint of mystery that makes Jisung want to get closer and stare for the rest of eternity, counting all of the stars he can see.

His mouth parts, taking in Chenle’s beauty, his ears facing forward as he leans up from leaning on the counter, and they barely register that they’re not the only two people in the room. Maybe he really is pining? For a moment, It’s just them, but then it's not, and Jisung is suddenly very aware of his lack of shirt and freaks out.

Quickly, he jumps out of the room and hides on the other side of the wall. His back is flat against the wall, the cool of it spreading through his back. He clutches at his chest, breathing heavily. He didn’t want that to be the first thing Chenle heard him say, but there’s no turning back now. He’s here, he heard what he heard and all Jisung can do is try to make a better impression.

But wait- why the fuck is Chenle here, in his kitchen, with his mum?

“Jisung-ah, sweetie?” His mother calls worriedly, “are you still there?”

“Yeah-“ he squeaks out, embarrassed and he bangs his head on the wall, but the soft sound of Chenle laughing rings in his ears and calms him down, “I’m just—I’m gonna just go to my room,”

“I’ll be there in a moment, sweetie,” his mother says.

And with that Jisung bolts up stairs and immediately searches for a tank top to put on. He paces, throwing his phone out of his pocket and pulls at his wet hair. It takes a few minutes for his mum to knock on his door but when she does, Jisung immediately bombards her with questions because a) what the _fuck,_ b) what _the fuck_ , and c) _what the fuck?_

“Mum, why is he here? What’s going on? I’m so confused, and why are you so dressed up?”

“Jisung-ah, relax, okay? I’m so sorry darling, I forgot to tell you. We’re going out for dinner with the Zhong family tonight,”

Jisung looks as his mother as the words spill out of his mouth and he briefly wonders if he’s transcended into another universe before he realises that’s stupid and shaking his head. He falls back on his bed, bouncing into the fall and leaning back to lay down.

“What?” he asks, rubbing his eyes.

His mother looks around his room, spotting his gaming chair and sits in it. The plush backing of the seat is gently on her overworked back and she instantly realises why Jisung spends so much damn time in it.

“Meifeng-ssi asked me to dinner and we decided to have a ‘family’ dinner. I was about to tell you before your father rang. I completely forgot, I assumed that’s why you were in the shower so early,”

A blanket of silence fell over the room before Jisung braves it, “are we all going? What about dad?”

“No,” his mother says sadly, “you know your father can’t, and Minsung is working tonight. It’ll just be us, Meifeng-ssi and Chenle-ssi. His sister won’t even be there,”

She shifts in the chair, spinning slightly to the side as she stands up and begins to head to the door.

“Do I have to?” Jisung whines, head lolling to the side when he sits up to properly look at his mother.

She smiles, “yes, you do. You’ve been whingeing all week that you missed your chance at a ‘friendship’, now’s your chance to change that,”

~~~~

It’s so awkward. It’s so unbelievably tense and the air around them is thick. Jisung feels like if he breathed too hard the air around them would shatter and he’d be held responsible for the destruction of life as he knows it. He just hopes the feeling is mutual because he is _stressing._

Sitting in the car, next to Chenle, is making him shake. He’s picking at his black slacks, hoping to calm his nerves, but, alas, it doesn’t work. Sweat is forming under his armpits and is probably going to ruin his brothers’ pale blue button up t-shirt that he stole because he wanted to look just as fancy as everyone else.

Chenle looks like a three-course meal with dessert at the end that costs a thousand dollars. His button up shirt is baby pink, just the perfect shade of pretty to make Jisung lose all sense of self. However, it’s not a monochrome shirt. It’s accompanied by an intricate swirling pattern of gold.

His own slacks are white, pristine, and pure, and the site of Chenle’s black tail contrasts against his pants from the way he is sitting with his tail curled up in his lap. He supposes that’s how he has to sit on a chair with a back to it, but Jisung won't ever know that struggle. Still, he wonders.

The shoes he’s adorned are white as well, and shiny and almost sparkle as they pass by a streetlamp. He looks expensive as fuck, while Jisung thinks he looks like the dollar-tree version of him. His shoes aren’t nearly as pretty. They’re his joggers for school that are still dirty from Physical Education earlier today.

Jisung never knew someone so fancy could sit next to him (even his own mother, who owns quite a few gorgeous dresses for such fancy occasions, doesn’t quite compare to Chenle’s aura). His mother is wearing her favourite red, backless dress that seemingly matches with Meifeng, Chenle’s mother's dress. She sports a backless, sparkly silver dress that reaches down to her ankles.

His mother is also a hybrid, Jisung has found out. She owns the same pair of jet-black cat ears that Chenle has, and a matching tail. The only difference is that Meifeng’s tail has been cut short. Jisung is curious about what happened but doesn’t ask.

When Jisung had walked into the kitchen after getting dressed, Chenle had given him a small hello. He wishes he said hello back, but instead nodded his head. Their parents seem deep in conversation, his mother at the wheel, so he takes the opportunity to finally say hello back.

He bites the side of his mouth, grabs a hold of his pants, and tightens his grip and looks at Chenle. The boy is staring out the window at the passing buildings and his side profile catches Jisung’s attention. He shakes any and all thought, and swallows down his pride.

“Hi,” he says weakly and mentally kicks himself at the tone of his voice.

Chenle swirls his head to look at Jisung with full eyes and a soft smile.

“Hello,” Chenle says back and his attention stays trained on him.

It’s still awkward, but at this point Jisung knows it will stay that awkward if he doesn’t push past it. So, once again, he swallows his embarrassment and says, “the weather is nice,”

Chenle laughs at this. It’s unlike any laugh Jisung heard from him. Rather than breathy and reserved, it pitched up and it squeaks out, almost a wheeze but it happens so fast it’s definitely not. Jisung is sure that if it were anyone else, he would find the laugh as the most annoying laugh he has ever heard, but it’s Chenle, so it is endearing in all ways possible.

“Yes, the weather is nice,” Chenle smiles, “do you know where we are eating?”

Jisung looks out the window to see if anything seems familiar. In all truth, no he doesn’t know. All his mother told him was that they were going some place fancy and expensive (definitely somewhere Jisung hasn’t gone before, the most expensive place he has ever been in is McDonalds).

“I have no idea. We could be driving to Rome for all I know,” Jisung jokes and looks back at Chenle who shares a slight look of confusion.

“Is that—umm, this kind of embarrassing. Is Rome the capital of Italy?” Jisung nods his head, “Really? I understood that joke,” Chenle says before he swivels to lean forward in between the two front seats and excitedly and say something in a language Jisung doesn’t fully understand excitedly, ears flicked forward.

His mother replies, sharing a smile, and Chenle goes back to sitting as he was before. He has a sheepish grin on his face and Jisung is in complete awe. Not only does he sound unbelievably gorgeous speaking in his native tongue, but his pure excitement in understanding Jisung’s joke (not that he’d really call it that, it was more sarcasm) is adorably attractive.

“Sorry,” Chenle apologises, “that was stupid to get excited about,”

“It was cute,” Jisung says before he can filter his words and the embarrassment rushes to his neck, cheeks, and ears. His hands clasp around his mouth as he squeaks out, “I’m so sorry, that wasn’t meant to come out- I mean I wasn’t meant to say that!”

Once again Chenle laughs and shakes his head. He stares at Jisung with the brightest, toothiest smile, eyes almost disappearing like a smiling cat. Jisung’s heart skips a beat and he can’t help but smile back as he lowers his hands back into his lap.

“Sure you didn’t,” Chenle says, “but you’re cute too,”

“I am?” Jisung says surprised.

Chenle nods, “yeah. A little awkward, but that’s what makes you cuter,”

~~~~

Jisung has come to the conclusion that Chenle is great. No further explanation needed, he’s simply great.

When the night was beginning to get old, and dinner had finished, they headed out of the restaurant which just so happened to be one of Chenle’s favourite places to visit. Meifeng had graciously paid, much to Jisung’s mum’s dismay, and they were on their way home.

He didn’t want to part with Chenle. The night had been spent with so much laughter and smiles, he doesn’t want it to end. Jisung has learnt so much over the hours spent with Chenle and while the awkwardness hasn’t exactly left, it’s a lot less embarrassing. He even learnt that Chenle is basically a nerd like he is, just a little more on the downlow.

Chenle even said that Jisung could call him hyung (after telling Jisung he was actually a year older, this Jisung already knew, because he missed a whole of learning due to travel, this Jisung didn’t know) and it just felt right. Jisung can remember repeating the phrase over and over again just because he liked the way it sounded.

But all good things have to come to an end it seems because before he knew it, he was waving Jisung goodbye on his front porch. Saying goodbye was easily the worst part of the night and it left a sour taste in his mouth as he flopped into bed, staring at the ceiling. As unfamiliar and new the event was, his curiosity was beginning to get the better of him.

He fell asleep with Chenle’s laugh on his mind, dreamt of Chenle dancing in the clouds, but unfortunately awakes to sight of Minsung rummaging through his closet. The weekend flies by fast, a cycle of repetitive events that doesn’t seem to end (he thinks of Chenle, gets really happy, loses his game because he can’t concentrate, sighs and tells himself that he’s better than this, tries again, repeat). That is until Monday rolls around, as cheerful as the start of a long week of school work can be.

Chenle doesn’t sit with him in class, nor at break, and it hurts, but Chenle catches him on their way to class and walks with, talking about any random thing that pops into their heads, so, it’s not that bad. Taejon seems annoyed, but doesn’t say anything directly to Jisung, or Ye-ah as far as he knows.

And that’s how the next few weeks play out. It’s the same process, over and over again, but it has become a familiar pattern that Jisung can get behind, even if he is longing for more of a connection. Nothing quite compares to how he felt at dinner.

But Chenle has proven that he’s prone to breaking Jisung’s silent process of normality.

It’s the end of the day, Jisung is dragging himself down the hall, already tired of school and it’s only Wednesday. After having to stay back for a talk with his teacher about ‘where his focus is’, he’s ready to get out of this hell hole. He makes his way to where his mother usually picks him and Minsung up and it just so happens to be where she drops them off too.

Minsung is half leaning out of the car and half standing in his seat in the front, door open as swings on the frame of the car, melodramatically yelling at him to hurry up. Jisung purposely stops, looks at him pedantically and continues walking, only slower just because he can—and it annoys the life out of his brother.

That is until he hears a familiar voice call out his name. The voice makes his heart skip a breath, his lungs to miss a breath and his brain to short circuit. He spins around, body lagged from his thoughts and he thinks he sees Chenle bounding towards him, but his eyes aren’t focusing.

“Jisung-ah!” he calls out, huffing out a large breath as he gets closer. When he’s in front of Jisung, he takes a deep breath in, leaning on his knees to regain control, “want to walk with me home?” he asks, hope glistening in his eyes, “we can stop by this really cool shop I saw this morning,”

Jisung doesn’t even need to think of the answer before he’s nodding yet, smiling wide. He awkwardly hesitates, as he walks to the car. Minsung is looking at him, clearly annoyed by how long he’s taking. When Jisung comes to his door, he slams it shut, but Jisung peers into his window and looks at him mum.

“Hey mum, can I walk with Chenle home? And maybe—possibly—get like fifteen dollars for drinks on the way?” he bites his lip, praying his mother will let him go because he’s already said yes.

“Sure—” Jisung cheers on the inside, “—here’s my card. Please don’t lose it or go over twenty, I’m trusting you,” she says, fishing into her purse at Minsung’s ankles and grabbing out her wallet.

He nods enthusiastically after being handed the card, blows his mother a kiss, thanks her and makes his way back to Chenle who is still standing where he left him, smiling as radiant as the sun. It’s a cute look on him. He can hear the car driving away as he and Chenle begin walking.

It’s silent for most of the walk except for the sound of their shoes on the footpath. The weather is really nice, surprisingly warm under the sun despite the recent cold weather they’ve been having. There is a hidden breeze that barely moves the leaves on the trees that are spaced out along the side of the path, separating the road from pedestrians.

The leaves are a mixture of all kinds of autumn colours and green, a reminder that the temperature is going to only get colder from here on out as winter comes closer. Jisung takes in the warm the sun is giving him. It may be the last time in months it is this warm.

“Jisung-ah!” Chenle says excitedly. He grabs his hand and bounces up and down, pointing to a bird up in the tree.

Jisung looks up at where he’s pointing and see’s the bird. It’s a gorgeous array of colours; a creamy white torso with a strip of red on its underside; a copper cap above a line of black over its eyes, following the shape of its beak; and almost teal coloured wings, looking more green than anything from where it rests in the trees. He almost misses the blue patch of feathers on the wings.

“Look at that bird, it’s so pretty,”

“It is very pretty, just like you,” Jisung says with a smile, but then he’s hyper aware of what he just said and stumbles. He can feel Chenle’s tightening grip on his hand and promptly forgets how function, “I- we- um, lets, um- yeah,”

“Oh! That’s the shop I was talking about.” Chenle points across the road, seemingly not hears Jisung’s struggle to talk.

He drags him to the pedestrian crossing, looking both ways before he crosses over it and bounds towards the café. Jisung trails behind him and briefly wonders why the place looks so familiar. That’s when he remembers that one of his friends works there, and then he’s left wondering if he is a) working today and b) if he is there already, even if school just finished.

The shop is a cute little café, with white painted bricks and a white and yellow striped overhang that covers across the white door and a large window that covers most of the wall. It looks small from the outside, but Jisung knows better than to take that at face value.

Chenle pushes the door open after glancing through the window that takes up the top half of it. He lets go of his hand, and they walk up to the display counter where there’s an open selection of pastries and cakes. They’re covered by a clean glass display.

“Hi, what can I get—Jisung-ah,” the worker greets as he walks to the counter from the baker’s room.

He’s a heartthrob and looks the part too. Chenle himself is instantly hit with his aura. He seems so kind, yet unbelievably flirty. His eyes hold a powerful stare and charming, toothy smile, and he has a feeling if he weren’t already interested in another person, he’d fall in love.

The man has pretty blonde hair. From the looks of his roots, he’s had his hair like that for a while. He has a pair of long rabbit ears. The ear on the left is purely white, but the other ear is mostly brown with splotches of white.

“Hey hyung. How are you here so fast? Class literally just ended,”

“For you,” he winks, “we didn’t have class last period, so I came here early. What’s up with you lately, haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Nothing much, just waking home,” Jisung smiles but then realises that Chenle is just standing there, “Chenle-hyung, this is my friend Jaemin-hyung, hyung this is Chenle,”

Chenle comes up beside Jisung, and holds onto his noodle bicep, drawing himself closer to a familiarity in this otherwise unfamiliar scene. Jaemin offers a warm smile, “So this is who you’ve been talking about. It’s a pleasure to meet you Chenle-ssi,”

Jisung’s cheeks begin to turn red in embarrassment, wanting to hide his face. Jaemin knows what he’s done, knows the effect he has and still had the audacity to say that like he wasn’t even there, however, it seems as though Chenle either didn’t understand what Jaemin said, or he’s just ignoring it because he doesn’t reference it.

“Me too. It’s nice meeting another hybrid around here,” Chenle says, his grip on Jisung’s arm tightening. He’s clearly nervous, Jisung can tell. A swirling of warmth erupts in his stomach at knowing that Chenle is seeking comfort from him.

“Same. There aren’t many hybrids in this side of town. Anyway, what can I get you guys?” Jaemin asks.

It takes a minute, but they eventually decide on their orders. After they decide to eat there rather than while walking home, Chenle gets a Frappuccino and box of bungeoppang (fish shaped pastries—Jisung’s recommendation) and Jisung orders a hot chocolate and two packets of yakgwa (a honey-based biscuit).

They pay for their things separately, after Jisung had to force Chenle to let him pay for his own food and drink, and Jaemin gets them their treats. He tells them to sit wherever while they wait for him to make their drinks. So, they made their ways to the table at the window.

The whole time they spend at the table, Chenle is holding onto Jisung’s hand. At first, he just mentioned how pretty the bracelet he is wearing was and asked if he could have a closer look. Jisung gave him his hand and let him play around with the jewellery.

Even after Jaemin delivered their drinks, Chenle keeps his hold in Jisung’s wrist, holding the underneath until Jisung grows a pair of balls and wriggles his hand until his fingers are tapping against his palms. Neither of them says anything about it, and Jisung doesn’t miss the side eyes Jaemin gives.

Later that night he gets a call from Jaemin, demanding to know if they’re dating. Jisung assures him they’re not.

~~~~

Jisung wishes he had clung to the cold instead of the warmth he felt that day he walked home with Chenle. Despite winter coming, everything’s been hot and sweaty, hot and humid and just _hot._ He’s beginning to hate it.

It’s also a Sunday, and while Jisung has absolutely nothing to do, he’s still sweating out of places he didn’t know existed. He’s laying on his bed, fan on the highest setting possible yet it’s doing absolutely nothing to the unbelievable amount of heat that’s smothering his body.

The pool would have been a great idea, and he’s not stupid enough to of forgotten about it, its just that the pool is filthy because no one (namely Jisung’s mother) has had the time to clean and filter it.

Luckily though, he and Chenle are on the same wavelength because his mum comes into his room with Chenle on the other end of her phone. When she gives the phone over to Jisung, he briefly sees that the number is under ‘Meifeng-ssi from work’.

“Dude, what are you doing right now?” Chenle asks excitedly through the phone.

“Uh, nothing?” He says, unsure if that’s how he should answer.

“Perfect,” Chenle says in an evil, little tone that Jisung is sure means nothing but trouble, “how would you feel about coming over for a dip in the pool cause it’s hot as balls out here, and I want you to meet my friend before he goes home,”

“Aren’t cats meant to hate water?” He asks playfully—to miss that opportunity for a joke would have hurt his young soul.

“Hardy-har,” Chenle spills sarcastically, “only a little bit, but it’s so hot. Please?”

Jisung thinks it over, but doesn’t think long because yes, he would definitely love to spend as much time with Chenle as humanly possible, and he can practically hear the pleading pout on his face, so he quickly tells him yes. He can hear the phone on the other end of the line being covered by something and then the faint, happy squealing of someone before Chenle returns.

“Awesome! I’ll come pick you up. Be there in like, half an hour or something.” And with that, Chenle hangs up.

Jisung smiles to himself before handing the phone back to his mother who has been just standing there, waiting. She’s in a very pretty yellow sundress that Jisung thinks suits her very well.

“I’m going to Chenle’s place,” he says simply.

“Do I need to drive you?”

“No, it’s okay, he’s coming to pick me up,”

Deciding what to wear is a god-darn challenge. Jisung’s never been into fashion, or trying really hard to look good because he knows he’s pretty and you can never go wrong with a plain tee/graphic tee stuffed into a nice pair of jeans, but right here, right now, he knows this will be a first impression on Chenle’s friend (who he wants to impress because _Chenle_ ) and he may just want to impress Chenle because it will be the first time they see each other is something other than school uniform or formal attire.

Kinda weird how they met in formal wear before casual but Jisung doesn’t have time to dwell on it before he’s grabbing his phone from his desk and calling Ye-ah. He would have called Taejon, but the dude has less knowledge about fashion than Jisung has.

“Hey Jisung-ah!” her voice is chipper through the speaker, “what’s up?”

“Noona, you’re good at fashion, right? What should I wear to the pool?” Jisung asks.

“Boardshorts? That’s like common knowledge,”

“What if I was trying to impress someone? Hypothetically,”

Ye-ah laughs, “oh my god child—” Jisung rolls his eyes at the pet name, “—you are a hopeless little bunny. Who is it that you’re trying to impress?”

“It’s maybe Chenle,” he says, and a blush burns its way onto his cheeks. He rubs at the nape of his neck.

“Jisungie, I can practically hear your blush through the phone,” Ye-ah teases, “it’s quite obvious you have a crush on him,”

Jisung chokes on his own spit because holy shit—he might’ve thought about it but having someone say it out loud to him has caused him to have an out of body experience that sent his lungs into orbit.

“What!? No…” he says, rather unconvincingly. He begins wondering if he should have just called Jaemin, though the rabbit hybrid may just tease him even more.

“Right,” Ye-ah says, voice drawing out her word as she is thoroughly unconvinced, “in any case, theoretically, you should wear your black and white striped boardshort Jaemin-ssi got you last year cause they’re funky. With that pink tank top too—it’ll be comfy when you swim in it,”

“Thanks, Ye-ah-noona,” Jisung says and promptly hangs up.

Then he’s on the search for the items of clothing Ye-ah listened. Jisung’s grateful for his friendship with her. She really knows Jisung, having grown up as family friends, and took into account that he hates showing off his body, mainly his stomach.

He knows he’s flat and muscular in that area, but him knowing is enough. Besides, showing off has never been his style, and Chenle has already seen him shirtless (by mistake so it counts), so what’s the point of parading himself around? It would probably make him uncomfortable anyway.

Just as Jisung finds his cap, he hears a knock at his door. His mother answers it and when he’s grabbing his phone and putting it in his bag that contains a towel, sunscreen, extra clothes, and a bucket hat in case his other hat gets too wet.

He skips down the stairs, sees Chenle in blue boardshorts and a pretty white top, and suddenly everything is ten times better. The heat isn’t bothering him in the same way, his mouth no longer feels dry and the heat on his cheeks is no longer just from the sun.

He says goodbye to his mother—and calls out to Minsung as well—and off he goes with Chenle by his side, basically guiding him where to go because he’s never been to Chenle’s house. He honestly expects a big ass, marble carved house because where else would he live? In an old, sky blue house that feels like it will fall apart at any minute like Jisung does?

They talk most of the walk, about their weekends and such, anything that comes to mind really. Jisung is finding it easier to talk; no longer gets shy when he thinks about how his voice might crack any minute or how he might stutter on his words. He used to worry. Not anymore.

Jisung wants to hold his hand or loop their arms together, but while he mightn’t be afraid to talk anymore, the thought of initiating what is technically something intimate couples do, almost exclusively, scares him beyond relief, and as he trying to wrap his head around just growing a pair of balls and doing it, they’ve already arrived at the driveway.

There’s a gate, beautiful and white. The gate itself is normal sized, however its pure presence makes Jisung think of a tale about kings and queens with fancy gates in front of their castles. The way emerald vines grow up against the stone is almost fairy-tale like with pink and violet flowers spotted along the green.

It seems as though his inner turmoil is solved when Chenle himself holds Jisung’s hand in his and forces him to run through the gate and up to his house. As Jisung had guessed, it's quite a large home; two stories with a lovely garden out the front, pristine white as is the fence and gate, a brick chimney, high windows and roof, and most importantly, a pool around the back.

Chenle opens the door, unfortunately drops Jisung’s hand and announces his presence. He and Jisung take off their shoes at the front door (which is also large, white, and adorns squeaky-clean glass) and then make their way up the staircase that sits in the foyer, up to what Jisung assumes is Chenle’s room.

When he opens the door, he is met with a surprising smell of wet dog and his eyes lay upon a figure who is sitting on a double sized bed. The bedding itself is dark blue with white pillowcases. Must be that friend of Chenle’s.

The figure lifts their head from glancing at their phone and smiles at them. He’s clearly a young boy, around Jisung and Chenle’s age. He has a pair of golden ears folded over and a medium sized tail with fur dangling off it, creating a shape that Jisung can only compare to the tail of a golden retriever. His hair is wet, appearing as a dark brown.

He’s admittedly cute, especially the way his eye curl when he smiles up at them, but it’s nothing compared to the innocent beauty that Chenle possesses, particularly the way his cheeks puff up when he smiles, the way his eyes turn into little crescent moons, the way his hair falls in a gentle wave of black with his shiny ears poking out like mountains in the seas…

Jisung really needs to stop.

“Hi,” the boy says, placing down his phone. Jisung notices the water droplets along his neck and suddenly the overwhelming pain of nervousness and awkwardness.

Voice caught in his throat, Jisung can only bow in greeting. He shimmies his way behind Chenle, something he finds weirdly comforting. The boy stands and Christ, he is tall. He’s near Jisung’s height, and while it’s not entirely uncommon for such a sight, it’s definitely been a while he’s seen someone he at least thinks is around his age.

“Sungchan-ah, this is Jisungie,”

“Ahh,” the boy, Sungchan, breaths out in realisation, “so this is the guy you won’t stop talking about,”

That comment catches Jisung's attention and he bite his tongue to hold his excitement at the idea that Chenle thinks about him just as much as he thinks of Chenle. The comment also seems to catch Chenle off guard as he stumbles back into Jisung with red cheeks.

“Sungchan!” Chenle whisper-shouts, fisting his hand.

Jisung thinks his reaction is cute, and as much as he wishes to vocalise this, he decides against it and instead puts a brave hand on his shoulder. His hands are shaky, but he takes in a deep breath and smiles.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jisung once again bows, because as nervous as he is, first impressions matter.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but the train comes soon, and I can’t miss it,” Sungchan says, standing up.

He grabs the backpack that laid at his feet and swung it over his shoulder. He and Chenle say their goodbyes, before he disappears into the hallway. Chenle’s smiling to himself, leaning against the doorway before looking back at Jisung who is standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking around at the various posters and decorations and fairy lights.

“He’s one of my only friends,” Chenle says, “the only hybrid one anyway. I met him at my last school,”

“Is that why he has to catch a train?”

“Yeah. Something at home happened and he needed to get away. It was great to see him though, he’s really funny. I have a feeling you guys would get along really well. Hopefully next time you’ll meet properly,”

“Hopefully,” Jisung says with a smile, “but if I don’t get in that pool soon I may just melt,”

Eventually, after a hot and sweaty tour of the second floor, they eventually make their way into the kitchen where Meifeng is dicing up fruits of various kinds. She acknowledges them, welcomes Jisung into her home but promptly goes back to doing her thing. She does tell them to put on sunscreen though.

Chenle leads them outside, back into the scorching heat. They set their towels on the white fence that surrounds the admittedly large pool, do as they’re told and put sunscreen on, and wait under the shade given by the umbrella that covers over the round table and chairs next to the gate.

However, Chenle is impatient and doesn’t wait anymore than five minutes to strip off his white t-shirt and jump in the pool. Jisung waits the extra few minutes before joining him, only he keeps his singlet on. The dichotomy of the blazing sun and the cold water makes Jisung feel like he’s in absolute heaven.

They paddle around for a bit, swimming in circles and honestly just vibing. Jisung lays on his back as he hears Chenle talking about something—he doesn’t know what it is, though he thinks he hears the word piano someone where. His voice is honestly really soothing, even if it is squeaky with that teenage boy charm. 

Jisung dives under the water to cool off his face. When he emerges from the water, he catches a glimpse of Chenle’s cheeky smile before he is bombarded by a huge wave of water. He’s caught off guard and nearly screams in surprise but the taste of chlorine in his mouth makes him hungry for petty revenge.

At first, his first thought is to splash back, and he does so. He quickly realises that that tactic isn’t going anywhere and opts for a new one. Instead, he gives one last final wave of water that makes Chenle turn his back to avoid getting hit in the face and when he turns back around to start up again, Jisung is gone.

Standing at the shallow end of the pool, he fully straightens his stance and the water only goes to his waist. He looks out to the sides of the pool and fence, thinking maybe he got out of the pool and foolishly begins to spin around to check.

Suddenly, the feeling of arms wrapping around his stomach consumes him and before he knows it, he’s being lifted and carried out of the water. He kicks and screams for Jisung to let him go, but the younger must work out or something because he doesn’t falter his walk one bit.

Figuring it’s useless to fight, his fingers go to hold onto Jisung’s hands, trying to pry them open but ultimately failing. He begs to be put down, that he’ll do anything Jisung asks but once again, the boy doesn’t bend.

”This is payback for getting chlorine in my mouth,” Jisung declares before throwing him into the pool, at the deep end.

As Chenle appears from the water, Jisung can’t help his laughter. He doubles over, pissing himself laughing as he has a sour yet playful expression plastered on his face. The hybrid’s ears lay flat on his head as he paddles closer to the end, and for a brief moment Jisung remembers that he is a cat and feels sympathy.

His laughter dies down slightly as he offers a hand to help pull Chenle out of the water. Chenle takes it and it takes Jisung approximately 0.119 seconds to realise his mistake as he’s brought back into the water at an alarmingly fast rate. He can hear Chenle laughing from under the water and when he emerges, he can’t help but laugh too knowing he set himself up for that one.

But the fight is still not over as he unconsciously grabs Chenle when they reach the shallower end of the pool, just where Chenle’s chest hits the surface of the water, ready to hoist him in the air and throw him again. Only this time Chenle is prepared and uses his legs to keep himself from being thrown.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” Chenle says in English, and Jisung vaguely remembers what the phrase means and laughs.

“You’re just too good for me,” _literally._

Jisung doesn’t let him down though. Instead, they partake in a staring competition. He gently lowers Chenle back into the water, but he’s so focused on his shiny eyes that he forgets to stop holding onto Chenle and his hands brush along Chenle’s side.

They stay like that for a moment, just taking each other in, until Jisung feels scarred tissue under his fingers. He can tell Chenle knows because a single hand goes to hold his, subconsciously keeping his hand from moving away from the change in smooth texture.

From what Jisung can feel under his hands, it’s a large scar, and how he only just noticed is beyond him. He feels afraid to ask what it’s from. Not knowing whether or not the issue was sensitive or not tripped him up but there was something in the way Chenle was looking up at him that made him speak up.

“What happened here?” Jisung asks quietly into the air between them.

“It’s… um… the… I…”

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s something you don’t want to share,” Jisung reassures, giving him a smile just to solidify that he only has good intentions.

“No, it just… Explaining it in Korean is kind of hard,” Chenle says.

They stay in this sort of position. The water around them is calmer now that they’ve stop tyrannizing the seas and the gentle feeling of the cold water against their skin keeps them grounded, keeps them together. Jisung stays quiet, giving him an encouraging nod if he so desires to continue.

“I guess, simply, I was stabbed a few years ago? I was walking home from school because my mother couldn’t pick me up, and I can’t remember it, but my friend who I was with said I was jumped on. He nearly cut off my tail apparently. I don’t remember it,” Chenle says slowly.

Jisung’s hand goes to wipe away what was most definitely not a water droplet from Chenle’s cheek, “I’m so sorry that that happened to you.” He can’t help but think it was because of Chenle’s heritage. There are some really fucked up people in this world, and it pains Jisung to know that something so terrible could happen to anyone.

“That’s why we moved here,” Chenle states simply, sniffling, “just me and mum, because we’re the only ones with the hybrid gene in the family,”

The more he stares and listens, the more he just wants to engulf Chenle in a tight hug and never let go. He looks so small in his arms, the water swaying softly around them. His gaze falls from his eyes to his lips, but only for a moment, because he catches himself and looks back into Chenle’s eyes, and he’s not sure if it’s star’s he sees or tears. His hand stays there on Chenle’s cheek, his thumb rubbing on his cheek soothingly.

“I’m scared Jisung, I’m really scared,” Chenle whispers.

“Hey,” Jisung sighs out, voice softer than it’s ever been, “hyung you’re strong Chenle, so strong, and brave,”

“Sometimes it’s really hard,”

“Then I’ll protect you,” Jisung says without thinking and he can tell Chenle is taken aback as he stumbles back slightly, still holding onto Jisung’s hand under the water, “stay with me. Sit with me at like lunch and stuff,”

“I—”

“Boys! Who wants some lemonade!” Meifeng’s voice interrupts Chenle and they quickly part from one another.

They share a smile, before Chenle can’t help but laugh and Jisung joins him as they walk out of the pool to where Chenle’s mother is. She is setting down a glass jug of sparkly lemonade down by the round table with the white umbrella near the gate when they get there and Jisung bows in appreciation.

Together they take a break but Jisung doesn’t let his suggestion die and eventually Chenle lets up. After Jisung invites (forces) Chenle to sit with him, permanently, he feels a lot closer with him. It started off fun, Ye-ah was so welcoming and happy and overall excited to have another person at the table.

Chenle was really starting to feel at home at the table, even if he does stutter over his words occasionally and forgets his Korean. It seems as though everyone at the table loves him—except for Taejon. He doesn’t look as happy about the sudden change as Jisung and Ye-ah.

That much is made very clear when he out right ignores Chenle when he talks to him. It hurt, a lot, even if they never really talked or had the basis of a friendship set up. He understands that some people just don’t get along with him, but the problem is that he’s never even given him a chance.

Jisung also noticed, and though Taejon is his best friend, he knows he’s in the wrong here. He doesn’t say anything, but he hears the off handed comments on Chenle’s heritage, and he knows Chenle hears them—he’s just too nice to say anything.

But Jisung isn’t. He knows it’s hurting Chenle, so he wants to say something, but he’s too nervous for confrontation. Ye-ah isn’t though, and she’s also getting annoyed at his attitude. He told her about how he’s worried it's hurting Chenle and she said she’d talk to him about it, however, Jisung is unprepared if anything happens before that.

He and Chenle walk side by side to the table, arms linked as Chenle always makes sure they are touching in some way, shape or form when together. It really did just start with the simple gestures and legs touching when sitting by each other, but somehow it evolved into this; not that Jisung was complaining.

After coming to terms with the fact that he is pining after the hybrid, he finds himself craving that contact anyway. It feels just as right as putting your cereal in your bowl first, natural in every way imaginable. He just wishes his friend weren’t so mean.

Taejon had skipped ahead when second break started, something he had begun to do when Jisung opted to walk with Chenle instead. They see him at the table after running by the canteen, sitting next to Ye-ah so as to avoid the chance of Chenle sitting next to him.

The two sit’s down after greeting Ye-ah and Taejon. Their arms aren’t locked together anymore, but Chenle’s hand is very clearly on Jisung’s thigh. The action does make Jisung momentarily forget how to breathe, but then Chenle smiles at him and suddenly Jisung’s world is back to normal.

He looks to his left to gaze at Chenle. His eyes bore into him the moment he turns, and he feels the sudden, unbelievably great urge to lean forward and close the short gap between their lips. The hushed pink that tints his cheeks as the weather finally follows nature's plan is cute, but the way his lips are puckered in a permanent pout is what encourages him.

Jisung doesn’t really have time to think before he’s acting but (un)luckily, he feels someone kick him from under the table and he snaps out of his desire.

Ignoring how Chenle was also clearly leaning in and staring at his lips, he straightens up and looks at the culprit. It’s Taejon, of course. He sits across from Jisung, arms crossed, however, he’s looking Ye-ah, probably not listening to her as she talks about the guy she met last night at taekwondo.

“What was that for?” Jisung asks.

He barely notices how Chenle is gazing up at him, slouched. His ears are flopped down, and he registers the feeling of his tail coming up and poking at his side.

“Hmm?’ Taejon hums, turning to finally look at Jisung. He’s smiling, up until he sees the unamused face on his face and his smile drops, “what was what for?”

“Nothing,” Jisung says, backing off from what could have been a really aggressive interrogation. He feels Chenle move his hand on his thigh, squeezing the muscle there.

Taejon seems to have other plans, however. He leans closer to Jisung, arms laying across the table. His eyes are piercing, sharp and scary, and Jisung can feel absolute panic overcome him. They’ve never had a real argument, something Jisung has made sure of over their years of friendship; always pleasing others to avoid conflict.

“No, what is it Jisung-ah? Did I ruin your perfect moment with him?” He spits, and Jisung can tell that Chenle is extremely uncomfortable. Ye-ah gently wacks him on his shoulder, telling him to ‘shut it’.

“Yeah, actually,” Jisung says softly and Chenle leans into him.

“Jisung-ah, it’s okay. Leave it alone,” Chenle says, breath hitting the shell of Jisung’s ears. It’s comforting, and momentarily dissipates any and all anger he has.

Again, it’s just them, and Jisung’s hand reaches over the hold of the wrist of the hand laying on his thigh.

“Yeah Jisung, leave it alone.” Taejon leans away, “I’d listen to him, wouldn’t want to anger the hybrid. No telling what he’d do,”

“He has a name,” Ye-ah buts in, sliding away from him, still in her seat, “stop being a prick Taejon-ah,”

“What is your problem, Taejon-ah? He’s a person, not an animal, and he doesn’t control what I do or don’t do,” Jisung says, anger evident in his voice.

He doesn’t get angry easily, and in all honesty, can’t remember the last time he got truly mad (video games don’t count). It’s a new feeling for him, and he’s starting to shake from the overwhelming nature of the emotion.

“My problem is that he’s a hybrid! A fucking hybrid. Everything about his existence is a mistake,”

“Clearly something along the way made your existence a mistake if you think that heritage makes him any less a part of humanity,” Jisung says, surprisingly calm yet there’s a hint of spite laced along his words.

Taejon seems taken aback by the words, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. His mouth parts in surprise upon hearing the words, and Ye-ah follows a similar expression, looking between the two.

The air goes tense. It’s awkward, and Jisung is fighting the urge to apologise for the aura he has created, but the encouraging squeeze Chenle gives him is enough for him to know he’s done the right thing. He hopes that Taejon will listen to what he is saying, but somewhere, deep down in his heart, he knows that that won’t happen.

“Listen to yourself,” Taejon says after a minute of absolute silence, “it was one thing when you were just friends with that Jaemin dude, but now you’re here, inviting this fag to sit with us? What’s next? The two of you start making out and shit? I can’t let my best friend be that!”

“Best friend? You really have the audacity to call me that after what you just said? Who the fuck cares if Chenle and I made out in front of you? Who cares? Honestly—if you were really, truly my best friend, you wouldn’t care and would support me through everything. How much of a fucking privileged moron are you?” Jisung rants, finding himself standing up in the heat of the moment. Around them, the tension grows. 

Chenle’s hand goes to grab his and begins to pull on it reassuringly. Jisung can’t help but think about how selfless he is, telling him it’s okay yet making sure Jisung is okay and feels comfortable. He is so far out of any comfort zones he might have had, but it’s gone on long enough.

He barely registers Chenle standing too until he has stepped over the bolted in seat and is pulling him away from the table, “let’s go Jisung-ah, before you do something you’ll regret,”

Taejon stands as well. He has an unreadable expression plastered over his face, “go on, listen to this fag. Just ignore five years of friendship over a hybrid you just met,”

“And as it turns out I’ve given him more happiness within the first month I’ve known Jisung than what you’ve given him in five years,” Chenle snaps, “you obviously have some issues to solve. How about you focus on them before you permanently ruin any and all chance for forgiveness. I’ve been called worse, have been treated worse and been beaten and left for dead in alleyways, but you’ve clearly put Jisung in an uncomfortable situation. Leave us alone,”

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Taejon says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He gets closer to the two, standing in front of them as they try to walk away, “what if I don’t? I don’t listen to abominations to nature like you,”

Ye-ah comes up beside Taejon and pulls him away from the other two. Just as she’s about to take over the situation and defuse it, he pushes her away. It’s then that Jisung realises the ruckus they’ve made because he suddenly feels everyone’s prying eyes on them.

He doesn’t even have time to wonder how long they’ve been looking because what he believes is utter rage fills his body when he pushes Ye-ah away. Instinctively, he guards Chenle and steps forward. He can see where this is about to lead, and does he have any idea how to fight? Absolutely none.

“What is your problem, really? Because this is not the Taejon I became friends with in secondary school. You’ve been saying shit ever since Chenle got here and have been making stupid ass remarks ever since I’ve known you,” Jisung whispers harshly, finger pointing at his chest.

“Him. He’s my problem,” Taejon says and before he knows it, he pushes Jisung out of his face harshly.

Jisung stumbles back, but before he can retaliate, Chenle has a grip on him and it's tight. He won't budge, but that’s probably a good thing because a teacher comes out of nowhere and stands between the pair and Taejon.

The next few seconds happen too fast, Jisung doesn’t even have time to register that Ye-ah has planted her fist into Taejon’s face so hard he falls to the ground.

~~~~

Ye-ah is suspended for a week.

The four of them sit outside the principal’s office after they give him a private recount of what had just transpired. Chenle doesn’t leave Jisung’s side unless absolutely necessary, and vice-versa. Ye-ah also sticks close to the two, up until her father picks her up.

“Ye-ah-ssi,” Chenle calls as she’s walking out. She turns to see him and as he reaches her, he bows.

“Thank you,”

She has half a heart to laugh kindly, “trust me Chenle-ssi, it’s been a long time coming. Just know that I accept you, and any love that you may have for a certain someone.” She rocks on her toes, whispering that last part.

The comment makes Chenle blush and scratch the base of his ear, but he thanks her again, promising to text her whenever he can over the weekend. She leaves after that, smiling at all the school’s staff as she follows her father.

Taejon sits as far away from, sulking in his own pity with an icepack over his left eye. He watches as Chenle sits next to Jisung again, and Chenle in turn sends him glare, sticking his tongue out.

Jisung can’t help but laugh, but he knows that he needs to be the bigger person and taps on his shoulder to stop him. Both of their mothers are called in, as is Taejon’s father. There isn’t much of a conversation, as most of the important stuff had been communicated over the phone, but Taejon leaves first.

He leaves without a word, and Jisung is sure he’s lost his friendship for good. It doesn’t bother him as much as one would think—he just lost his best friend, someone who he has spent most of his adolescence with, creating memories and such, but Jisung has been putting up with his comments for far too long. He’s just glad Ye-ah is okay and on his side.

Only Jisung’s mother arrives. She has Meifeng on the phone when she’s talking with the principal. His mother explains that a situation at work had occurred and that she gives permission for Jisung’s mother to take Chenle home with her. While the two aren’t suspended as they didn’t participate in any kind of violence such as pushing or putting a straight fist in someone’s face, they get to have the rest of the school day off (school policy) and Monday off (a personal decision from the principal).

They sit in the car, silent as Jisung’s mother drives them home. It’s tense—Jisung can’t tell if his mother is mad at him or not, but that tension is immediately sliced in half when they stop at the first red light.

“I’m so proud of you Jisung!” She celebrates, catching both of the boys in the back by surprise.

“You are?” both say in unison.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to grow a pair of balls? You did good Jisung. You take after your father very well,”

Jisung looks at Chenle who shares a similar smile to his mother. If she’s not mad, then just maybe…

“Then can Chenle stay over tonight?”

And that is what leads them into their current position, Jisung sitting on the floor of his bedroom with Chenle on the bed as they play Mario Kart. It’s split fairly even in the win/lose department, and as much as Jisung wants be competitive, he’s is just having too much fun to care that Chenle just red shelled him and stole the win from under his nose—and anger is just something he’s rid his body of after today.

Instead he laughs out loud, because for some reason it’s really amusing, and he gets ready to start another round. Chenle seems to have a better idea and flops on his back. He stretches, tail also moving to stretch as it unknowingly stroking Jisung’s face. He’s never felt that sensation before—it’s oddly comforting.

“I should shower,” Chenle mumbles into the crook of his arm.

“Yeah, you smell Chenle-hyung,” Jisung jokes and Chenle laughs.

“It’s the hybrid pheromones, trust me. Otherwise I would definitely smell better,” Chenle says.

That comment has Jisung thinking, and before he can stop himself, he asks, “do you get heats?”

Chenle sits up and looks at Jisung with confusion. The latter is staring up at him, innocence drawn all over his face and when it hits him that that was not a question to ask someone he has only recently declared as a good friend, he mentally face palms himself.

“Wait, never mind. That was grossly personal, don’t worry, don’t answer that—”

“Nah it’s fine,” Chenle smiles, leaning down to lazily punch his shoulder, “no I don’t though. I’m not old enough to. It’s kind of like a second puberty, like a girl’s period except it happens when you are around eighteen rather than eleven,”

“Huh… I never knew that,” Jisung says quietly, “why aren’t we taught that in school?”

“Hybrid matters are kind of pushed aside, I guess? Like, our history is taught, but everything else is learnt through our parents. It was my dad who taught me what heats and ruts where, and how to deal with them. It’s probably the leading reason there is so much discrimination. The only chance at education is in university—at least here in Korea. I’m pretty sure it’s a high school elective class you can take in America,”

“Really? Why not here?” Jisung asks, slowly shifting so that he is leaning on his knees and facing Chenle. He’s assuming it’s because of the blatant discrimination that goes unreprimanded.

“Don’t know. Anyway, as much as I’d love to get sappy about it, I haven’t showered since this morning and I’d like to have one,” Chenle says, effectively ending that conversation that was definitely going to turn political or depressing and Jisung is now sure he was not prepared for it, “I want to wash away today. To just get it all off of me,”

Jisung nods and gets up to grab Chenle some clothes to wear after. After digging in the back of his closet he finds an old pair of sweatpants that he hasn’t worn in years. He asks Chenle what he would prefer, a tank top, t-shirt, or hoodie to sleep in. He looks back expectantly.

Chenle seems to ponder over it for a moment before deciding on a hoodie, claiming he gets cold really easily at night. Jisung grabs a navy-blue hoodie that he doesn’t recognise and passes the clothing back to Chenle. He grabs it and sits it on the bed before Jisung leads him out of the room.

He takes him all the way down the end of the hallway and opens the door to the bathroom. They share an awkward smile, but it makes Jisung’s heart skip a beat. He gestures for him to go inside and then goes to the towel cupboard and grabs out a pastel yellow towel with an adorable, embroidered rose along the breadth of it.

After handing it to Chenle and telling him he can use anything he needs, such as Jisung’s shampoo, he leaves him alone to shower. He can hear the door shut as he walks back to his room and as he closes his bedroom door behind him, he leans against it and holds a hand over his heart.

Only one logical thought crosses his mind. Must. Call. Jaemin.

So, he rushes to his phone, stretching across his bed to reach his phone that has been plugged on charge since they arrived back home. His fingers guide themselves to the contact number in his phone and immediately rings it. He bites his lips as the dial rings, anxious.

_Bzzt, bzzt—_  
_Bzzt, bzzt—_  
_Bzzt, bz—_

“Hello,” A sultry voice comes through. There are other voices on the other end of the phone too, floating away in the background.

“Jaemin-hyung! I need your help!”

There’s a laugh, “with what, young padawan?”

“It’s not the time for Star Wars references, hyung,” Jisung stands up, “I’m in trouble. Not only did I partially, not really, participate in a fight at school, but Chenle-hyung is in my house—my shower—and I’m freaking out!”

Jaemin shuffles on the other end of the phone, presumably relocating himself. Knowing how much of a social butterfly he is, and the fact that it’s a lovely Friday night, he’s most likely either at an outing with friends or he has friends at his place. Jisung really envies Jaemin. He’s an introvert but that man is an absolute heartthrob and could fool anyone into thinking he is an energetic, outgoing extrovert.

“That fight was you? Holy shit, you do have some balls,” Jaemin coos, “what happened?”

Jisung proceeds to spill his guts, starting from the day he invited Chenle to sit with him up until the part when they arrived at his house. Jaemin listens silently on the other end, soaking up all the information he’s being told.

“You really did that? You have more heart than most people Jisung-ah, I know so many dudes who’d just bystand,”

“That’s why I did it. I’ve been bystanding all my life, just because I’m too much of a pussy, but—I don’t know. Today was just different,”

“A good different.” 

Silence.

“Hyung, what’s it like to be in love?”

Jisung can hear Jaemin chock on his spit (maybe even on his drink, Jisung doesn’t know), and it sends him into a fit of coughing and laughing, all mashed together in a mess as Jaemin tries to control himself. It takes a while, just Jisung basking in the consequence of being so blunt, waiting for an answer. He doesn’t ask again; just waits.

“Well,” Jaemin stutters through his thoughts, “I don’t know Sungie. I guess—maybe it’s knowing that no matter what that you can count on that person? Like, you just trust that person without hesitation? That you know that person, being able to respect one another, and appreciate one another unconditionally. It’s just a feeling you know, a comfortable and safe feeling”

It’s silent, and the world ticks by as Jisung contemplates Jaemin’s words. Is that what he feels? Maybe pining wasn’t the right word for it but definitely feels something, something beyond friendship. It’s starting to scare him not knowing what it was. He feels like any moment he’ll combust!

“Sungie? You still there,”

“Yeah—” Jisung scratches his arm, “—I think so,”

Jaemin sighs, “don’t overthink it kid, it’ll come naturally, and if you love Chenle, you’ll know it,”

“Kid! I’m not a kid! You’re only two years older!”

The scene is interrupted when Chenle walks into the room with the towel Jisung lent him wrapped around his waist and Jisung’s eyes stay trained to him, missing Jaemin’s comeback. His hair appears darker and his sleek ears are facing the front, alert. Droplets fall down his neck and Jisung’s eyes travel with them. He just keeps getting more and more gorgeous as the night goes on.

“Sorry, I left your clothes in here, and I didn’t want to wake up you mum,” Chenle says with a smile and Jisung nods, yet his eyes stay trained to Chenle. He really needs to stop staring, surely it has gotta be uncomfortable.

“Yeah,” Jisung mumbles mindlessly, “do you want me to just turn around?”

A snort comes from Jisung’s phone, “That’s totally not awkward at all,”

“Sure?” Chenle says it's a question and Jisung turns around.

“I’ll call you tomorrow hyung, maybe,” he whispers into the phone and hangs up without much thought.

From behind, he can hear the rustling of fabric as Chenle rushes to get dressed as to not make everything awkward again. A moment ticks by and Jisung realises he’s not in his pajamas yet so he tells Chenle to turn around so he can change too. Keeping his back to Chenle, he grabs out a black pair of Adidas sweatpants with white stripes down the side.

Waiting a moment before pulling his jeans off to put his new sweats on, he begins to ponder. It is awkward, there’s no denying it, and something about the scene is so ridiculous that Jisung begins to laugh. They’re friends, what is up with this?

“What’s so funny?” Chenle asks with a chuckle.

“Just this,” Jisung says, gesturing to the room despite Chenle not being able to see him, “this situation. It’s funny,”

He can hear the door to his bedroom close and he turns around, seeing Chenle gone. He doesn’t worry though and takes his shirt off. He picks his jeans up and throws his clothes in the basket next to his desk.

Chenle walks in and catcalls Jisung, causing him to spin around covering his torso. The dolphin laugh Jisung has learnt to love cracks through the room. He clutches at his stomach trying to not fall over and to contain his laughter, ears folded back and tail curling in on itself, because the face Jisung made was gloriously hilarious.

“You look—” Chenle tries to keep his laughter in, “—like a scared cat! That was glorious!”

“Says you,” Jisung pouts jokingly, and it has Chenle copying his facial expression, furrowing eyebrows to fully capture the fake emotion.

“You’re cute when you pout,” he says before scratching behind his ear, “I guess you sleep shirtless then?”

“Oh, well, us-usually,” Jisung stutters, face beginning to burn, flustered, “but I was about to look for a shirt,”

Chenle flops onto the bed, stretching his back and arms, yawning. He wiggles around on the doona, snuggling closer and closer to the centre of the bed. It’s cute, and Jisung wants to scoop him up in his arms and cuddle him to sleep.

“Don’t worry about it. Now come here and sleep, ‘m sleepy,” Chenle mumbles.

Lazily, he closes his eyes and pats the space next to him. Jisung joins him after turning off the light. He lays next to Chenle yet keeps his distance. They mirror each other, backs against the warm blanket as they face up to the ceiling, and though Jisung knows Chenle’s eyes are closed, they are essentially looking at the same thing, darkness.

He wants to get under the blanket, to have the warmth on his back all over his bare torso to help cox him to sleep because his heart is currently running at a million miles per hour. He feels like his ribcage could explode, much like the feeling he had when Chenle hugged him for the first time.

Jisung’s heart doesn’t calm down, not even after what feels like an eternity has passed (though it has probably only been ten minutes). How can it when he feels Chenle’s finger poke at his side? He turns his gaze, though Chenle’s features are barely visible in the dark sheet that covers the room. A flash of light illuminates the room momentarily from a notification on Jisung’s phone and a sparkle in Chenle’s eyes catches Jisung’s attention.

For a second, he can see the fact that Chenle had silently shuffled onto his side, one hand touching his skin and the other hand tucked under his head as a pillow because they’re too far down the bed, legs bent into the foetal position and looking directly at him. Jisung thinks he looks sad, but he doesn’t know if he’s misinterpreting his sleepy state.

“What’s wrong hyung?” Jisung asks softly.

Chenle swallows a lump in his throat. He pinches Jisung’s skin gently, and it scares him for a moment before he realises its Chenle trying to secure and ground himself. Without much thought, he lets his hand grab his finger and grips onto it gently, not pulling him away, rather letting him know that he is listening.

“Can we cuddle? I feel—like—I don’t know,”

“Of course.” Jisung smiles, tugging softly for Chenle to move closer.

They shuffle until Chenle is resting in the crook of Jisung’s armpit. He grabbed a pillow before they settled so as to not hurt his neck. The feeling of damp hair and ears on his neck is new to him but he doesn’t oppose the tickling sensation it makes. His hand rests in the middle of Jisung’s torso, finger drawing nervous circles against the skin.

“Thank you,” Chenle whispers quietly, also afraid for Jisung to hear him.

“No thanks needed hyung,” Jisung says with a sigh.

“But I feel like I do. Not just for now, but earlier today. You really didn’t have to do that, he was your best friend,”

“Was—” Jisung snuggles closer, “—but you’ve already thanked me,”

“Still not enough. I think I’ll continue to thank you until I get tired of saying it,”

Jisung chuckles, “so… never then?”

He can feel Chenle nod his head, he assumes that’s the end of the conversation because a moment later he can hear soft snores coming from Chenle. Chuckling, he closes his eyes too, instead basking in the warmth that Chenle is giving off rather than under his blanket. He doesn’t even stop to think about how his feet dangle over the edge of the bed before sleep also takes over him.

Chenle awakes at the sound of his own heartbeat, hammering against his cage as he shakes off a forgettable nightmare. He vaguely registers where he is, and when he does, he seems that he’s in the arms of one the kindest, most awkward human he’s ever met and as he looks up at him, he smiles brightly.

The poor boy has a double chin from how his neck is positioned and to be quite honest, Chenle thinks his sleeping face is the ugliest and funniest thing he’s seen in awhile. Lips are parted as he breathes through his mouth, nose twitching ominously. It’s endearing how stupid he looks in the dark.

But despite how funny he looks, it’s the most perfect image for Chenle to engrave into his memories. Not his gorgeous body; or his fluffy hair; or his charming smile. It’s the image of Jisung as natural as the world will let him, in his purest form without restrictions of beauty or standards.

It scares him, how perfect something so idiotic seems to him, and a thought crosses him mind that scares him more than life itself. So, he pushes himself out of Jisung’s arms and takes a moment to look at the boy with confusion because no—that thought didn’t not just cross his mind, he did not want to do that.

His ears twitch, tail flows behind when he scares himself out of the bed, trying to be careful to not wake the taller boy but ultimately giving up and rushing out of the room.

Jisung awakes to a cold frost, groaning from the cold and bringing his arms to tiredly wrap around his bare torso and warm himself up. This is exactly why he wanted to get under the blanket but Chenle—wait, where is Chenle?

Shooting up straight and searching around for the hybrid, he draws a blank. He’s not there, no trace of him except the faint smell of what is probably his hybrid sent that follows him everywhere, alerting other hybrids of presence. It’s like vanilla ice cream to Jisung’s human nose, very plain but addictive.

The door is wide open and it’s something that Jisung doesn’t notice at first but when he does, he runs to search for Chenle. He searches in the bathroom (knocking first because while he’s slightly worried, privacy is important), the living room, kitchen and game room.

After he peers through his father’s study that hasn’t been walked through in years, he notices the curtains covering the giant, glass, sliding door and window that leads out to the backyard aren’t flat like his mother always forces them to be. He walks over to it and looks out to see Chenle on the patio, leaning on the railing that oversees the pool.

He’s looking at the stars, using his wrist the rub against the back of his head either to scratch it or sooth down the fur, Jisung doesn’t know, but he’s seen Jaemin do it too, multiple times, so he knows it’s a hybrid thing.

Jisung opens the door and steps outside, startling Chenle who swings around with a surprised expression on his face, every part of his body tense. When he notices it is only Jisung, he lets out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding and returns back to his old position.

He makes his way next to Chenle, and leans on the railing like he is, looking at him rather than the sky above them. The lights from inside the pool illuminate Chenle’s face. He looks red, eyes puffy and nose flushed. His cheeks almost look dampened.

The more Jisung looks at Chenle, the more stars he sees in his eyes. They hold a universe in them, specks of sparkly light dancing sadly in the dark canvas of his eyes. It’s gorgeous, something he’s sure he'd thought when he first saw him but at this moment, he can’t remember that, and can only think about how Chenle hung the stars and the moon.

“I think the universe modelled the stars after your eyes,” he says softly. Chenle looks at him, looking for an explanation, so Jisung points at the sky, “see that constellation? That’s what your eyes look like, shiny—glossy,”

“I miss China,” Chenle says suddenly, voice weak, “I miss my family, my sisters, my father, my grandparents. I miss my language too. I just want to blurt out things but I can’t,”

“Then speak in Mandarin,” Jisung suggests quietly, “I mightn’t understand much, but I’ll listen. What’s bothering you?”

Chenle sighs, looks down at Jisung before his gaze turns back to the crescent moon above them, “okay,” he says in Korean before preparing for his mother tongue, “I don’t even know. I just don’t know who I am anymore. I’m having feelings about other boys that I haven’t had for boys before, having thoughts of kissing boys and dating boys, but it’s not just ‘boys’, it’s you, Jisung. I feel selfish for it, I feel like I’m leading a friendship that’s going to one day destroy us and I want to stop loving you, but I can’t.

“You’re addictive, you know that? Your voice is heavenly, your smile is so charming and pretty that I’m surprised you don’t have a girlfriend yet based on that alone. You’re so awkward but it’s so cute and you make me feel so safe and warm inside, I never feel like I’m less and I just love you. I don’t even know if you like guys, but I love you so much,” Chenle breaths in harshly, holding his breath for a moment and letting it out, trying so hard to settle his nerves.

His hands shake, and though he knows Jisung doesn’t speak Mandarin, the confession is causing his heart to pound again, like he had just run a marathon, and he keeps his head low after his last words fall off the tip of his tongue. It isn’t until he feels Jisung grab a hold off his hands that he looks in the eyes of the other.

Jisung’s free hand comes to wipe Chenle’s cheek and that’s when he feels the wetness reappear on his face. They maintain eye contact as strong as the first day they met, eyes burning into each other, searching for something they don’t really understand. There’s a rising red crawling onto Jisung’s cheeks, and it’s not the cold air of the early morning causing them to change colour.

“Hyung,” Jisung begins, “I love you too,”

The Chinese catches Chenle off guard and he slightly backs away with a look of confusion written all over on his face. The pronunciation isn’t the best, and it’s spoken slowly and carefully. Their hands stay where they are as Chenle’s jaw drops, heat rushing to his cheeks in absolute embarrassment.

“H-how—”

“Mandarin is one of my electives at school. I’ve never been good at it, but my listening exam earlier this year is the only reason I’m passing my class. I didn’t understand everything, but I know the important parts. I’ve never felt this way about someone in my life, boy or girl, and it scares me hyung, so bloody much, but this feeling is one that I like. It’s unfamiliar but I feel safe. You are the embodiment of pure happiness and I don’t want to let you go.

“We’re young, but something is telling me that it's more than just a silly high school crush. I don’t believe in fate, but there is a reason we met, a reason we became friends and I think this is the reason. I don’t want to go fast, but I can’t wait another moment without being with you, especially now that I know that my feelings are reciprocated,” Jisung rambles and rambles, finally letting out everything that has been bottled up in his heart and he feels a weight lift off his shoulders.

Chenle’s hand reaches up to grab onto Jisung’s wrists, bringing them down from holding his face with a soft smile. If his eyes hold the stars, then Jisung’s hold the sun. Even in the dark he looks brighter than anything he’s ever seen before.

“I want you to be my first everything, Jisung-ah. And if it’s alright with you, I’d also like for you to be my last everything. My first and my last,”

Jisung nods, holding his tongue between his teeth to keep himself cool, calm, and collected, but the wide, toothy smile Chenle gives him makes him crack, and as much as he’s smiling, tears prick in eyes.

This feels like nothing Jisung has ever experienced. There’s a spark running through his body, coursing through his veins. He doesn’t know if the spark is love, excitement or happiness, but he wants for that feeling to prevail; he wants it to live in his body forever. His hold on his hands tighten.

His eyes fall down to Chenle’s lips, just for a second, before he looks back up into his sparkling eyes. Chenle cocks his eyebrow and his ears flick forward in curiosity. They’ve somehow managed to shuffle until they’re leaning against each other, arms in a tangled mess.

“Can I kiss you?”

He nods, eyes dropping down to Jisung’s lips and leaning in close. He’s far away enough for Jisung to case his lips, pressing forward gently for their lips to touch. It’s soft, a feathery press, heavenly in all the ways that heaven could only dream of being, but it ends too quick for Jisung and as Chenle pulls back, he lets go of his hands to cradle his head and pull him back.

It’s harsher, more of a push and pull than a gentle kiss. He wouldn’t describe it as aggressive, nor experienced in any way, but it was everything he wanted it to be. The feeling of lips pressed against his was magical, butterflies erupting in his stomach and heart pounding in excitement.

There is no tongue or teeth; pure feelings of love behind the pressure and they two of them smile through the kiss. Jisung’s fingers card through his hair, daring to pull, and Chenle’s hand slips out of Jisung’s other hand and moves to palm and grabs at Jisung's shoulder, desperate and ruthless.

They fall impossibly close. Their bodies align perfectly together, comfortable, and after a moment of grasping at Jisung’s skin and making it red, Chenle’s arms fling over his shoulders and pulls until their chest are flushed against each other. He’s on his tippy toes as he kisses back, lips moving flush against Jisung’s.

Warmth floods over Jisung, and the heat makes him hot and bothered, all in the right ways but he’s sure that his head is getting red from the lack of oxygen rather than a blush. So, he moves back, the sound of their lips parting is wet and loud in his ears.

It takes a moment for either of them to open their eyes—just taking in each other’s laboured breaths and aura—but when their eyes meet, they smile, foreheads pressed together in harmony.

And in that moment, breaths muddled, hands holding places that just feel so right, bodies moshed together in a blanket of pure serenity and warmth, it’s safe.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this! I promise it wasn’t meant to be this long... but if you did enjoy this story, I’m working on expanding the universe I have created. I love getting comments and requests, so if you have any recommendations I’d love to here them! I already have some pairing planned, but plots and kinks/relationship dynamics aren’t sooo... yeah
> 
> If you do want to know who I have or haven’t got planned, it’s listed in the notes of my YuMark smut <3


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